Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
Sep 2003
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2003apj...594l..63r&link_type=abstract
The Astrophysical Journal, Volume 594, Issue 1, pp. L63-L66.
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
11
Kuiper Belt, Occultations, Solar System: Formation, Techniques: Photometric
Scientific paper
We report the conditions and results of an observation campaign organized in 2000 September at the Pic du Midi Observatory, and dedicated for the first time to the study of Kuiper belt objects (KBOs) by stellar occultations. The observation consisted of recording the flux of a well-chosen star with a fast photometer (20 Hz) and counting occultations of this star by passing KBOs. The campaign provided 15 hr of good-quality signal (rms σ~1.8%) and zero detections of KBOs at a 4 σ detection level. For a KBO differential size distribution assumed to vary as r-q, this first result suggests a slope q<~4.5. A refined analysis of the data, studying diffraction patterns, allowed us to find an event at a 3 σ detection level compatible with a 150 m KBO. More generally, observation campaigns of stellar occultation by KBOs on >=2 m class telescopes could statistically constrain the slope and the expected turnover radius due to collisional erosion of the subkilometer KBO size distribution.
Auvergne Michel
Chevreton M.
Colas Francois
Lavillonière N.
Lecacheux J.J.
No associations
LandOfFree
A Search for Small Kuiper Belt Objects by Stellar Occultations does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.
If you have personal experience with A Search for Small Kuiper Belt Objects by Stellar Occultations, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and A Search for Small Kuiper Belt Objects by Stellar Occultations will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-1151271